Shadow's Tale
by xXRainDaze.NiilaXx
Summary: One-Shot. Shadow in an ordinary kittypet, with an owner that loves him. When he wakes up in a perfectly green forest one night, he finds a mysterious black she-cat, and a life which's he's never dreamt of. Dedicated to Demonguy.


**Hey guys!**

**This story is dedicated to my friend, Demonguy. **

**Disclaimer - I don't own Warrior's, if I did we would have seen more CrowXFeather. I also don't own Shadow.**

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Shadow could feel the eyes of his owner on him as his throat racked with a weak cough. His side burned, and he could feel it's pain slowly seeping his energy. Tried, he curled up into a small ball, ready to go to sleep.

He could feel his owner still watching him as he drifted off to sleep, but he brushed it off.

Opening his eyes, he could see a wonderful forest around him. The grass under his paws was bright green and soft, and he could scent the wind on his tongue. It smelt of rain, mouse and breeze.

"Hello, Shadow."

He quickly looked up as a strong voice interrupted his thoughts. In front of him was a beautiful, black she-cat, thick pelted with a bushy tail and dark green eyes like pine leaves.

"Where am I?" He asked, his eyes still wide from the wonderful forest around him. He could see huge moors in the distance, and pine forests and marshlands beside it, with rivers cutting across the ground.

"StarClan," she replied, sitting down and curling her tail elegantly over her paws.

"What does that mean?" He asked, slightly frustrated.

"It means you are dead."

The words hit him like a blow, and Shadow almost fell over. "D-dead?" He managed to croak, shock making his throat go dry, "I'm dead?" His thoughts admittedly flew to his owner, and the kindness his owner had shown him.

"Yes, yes you are," replied the she-cat, a smile playing on her lips, "But we have another life for you. We want you to live the life of a warrior."

She must have seen his look of confusion, as she explained, "We want you to love another life, a life in the forest with the Clan cats. You'll be become a warrior, and hunt for and guard your Clan. You'll be a great warrior, we can tell."

Shadow slowly nodded his head, it sounded exciting. He could see the image in front of him starting to shimmer, "You're being born into a loner who will join the clans," the she-cat meowed, somehow knowing what was happening to him. "You'll be as old as you are now."

Seeing his disappointed face, she smiled and said "Sorry, but StarClan can't bring back youth."

Seeing the image flicker, he quickly opened his mouth, "Wait - what's your name?"

"Shadow."

**. . .**

The forest disappeared in front of his eyes. All he could see now was a thick pine forest, and a wet, boggy ground. He wandered around for a couple of heartbeats, his nose lifted high to catch scents on the wind. Cat.

The second after he scented it, three large cats burst out of the tree's around him. He gaped at them for some time, he was sure they weren't there a moment before.

"Who are you, and what are to doing on ShadowClan land?" The leading cat, a huge, battle scared russet tom, asked, venom clear in his voice.

Shadow was mildly interested in the name 'ShadowClan' for a moment, but then he heard a strong whisper in his ear. "Tell them you are a loner wishing to join the Clan."

It was Shadow, he was sure of it. Still, he obeyed the she-cats words. "I am a loner, and I wish to join the Clan."

"Why?" Asked a scrawny, creamy-gray tom, his fur still kitten like.

"Tell them you have heard much abut the wonderful ShadowClan," whispered Shadow, her voice full of pride.

"I have heard much of the wonderful ShadowClan," he replied, his head spinning from the questions and answers being thrown at him.

"What is your name?" Asked the third cat, a brindled she-cat.

Shadow almost expected the she-cats voice in his ear, but after hearing nothing replied "Shadow."

The cat's flicked their eyes and tail tips at this, obviously finding it very curious. "Just like our founder!" He could hear the youngest cat murmur, and his wondered for a moment how many Shadow's this world actually held. Millions by the sound of it.

As he followed the cat's across the forest, he could hear Shadow in his ear.

"You'll make a great warrior, I don't know why you ever chose to be a kittypet!"

"I didn't chose it," he hissed back, suddenly defensive, "And I loved the life I had!"

Then he realized he had said it out loud, and the others were staring at him. "Sorry," he muttered, "I wasn't talking to you."

"Great!" He could hear the russet tom mutter, "We managed to pick up an insane loner! Just how great ShadowClan is!"

He's fur stood on end with that comment, but he could hear Shadow soothingly whisper to him.

"Don't mind Pinefrost," she whispered, "He's got a sharp tongue. And think your words to me, not say them out loud."

Shadow pondered over what a weird name Pinefrost was for a heartbeat, before remembering what he had been meaning to ask the night-furred she-cat. "Who was the founder of the Clan? When I told them my name was Shadow, the young one-"

"Ratpaw," Shadow added quickly, almost lazily.

"Yeah, Ratpaw or whatever," he shook his head, _what weird names!_ "Said something about 'just like our founder'. I'm assuming he was talking about the founder of ShadowClan. Who was it?"

The she-cat purred for a moment before replying with a simple answer. "Me."

Shadow had the rest of the walk to ponder of that. After Shadow had told him that, she had gone silent, though he could sense that she hadn't left him.

Once they got to the Clan, he was overwhelmed by the scents that hit his nose. Prey, milk, herbs... The list went on.

Pinefrost, the russet tom, lead him to a small den. Inside they found an old tom known as Redstar, the leader of the Clan.

Their they talked, and the conversation dragged. He could hear Shadow in his mind telling him what I do or say occasionally, but for the most part it was just the two russet toms.

Quickly, it became clear in what they were arguing about. Should he be allowed to join the Clan or not. The answer itself, however, toke much longer for them to figure it. With a few words chosen by Shadow the she-cat, the answer began to reveal itself.

He would join their Clan.

**. . .**

His claw's tore into the tom's fur, _thought you could get away with stealing our prey? Think again!_ The tom beneath him let out a whimper, and started dropping to the ground, injured.

Shadow relaxed his grip on the tom, and was about to move to another opponent when the tom underneath him lunged upwards, quickly pinning _him_ down. He struggled to twist out of the cat's grip, and after sometime, and many scratches, he managed to twist away.

He rolled down the small gulley, thorn's scratching his side. By the time he reached the bottom, he was in a bloody, muddy mess, with thorns and leaves riddling his pelt, and blood and mud streaked across it.

He could hear screeching from above the small ravine, and he wanted desperately to go up their and help his clan-mates. But his legs were stuck beneath him.

Soon, however the fight broke up. Not having anyway of knowing who the winner was, Shadow called out "Help! I'm stuck!"

Two ShadowClan cats came down, alerted by his yowl. They climbed down the sloop, and picked him up. "You need to go see the medicine cat," one of them, a gray tabby, told him.

Shadow nodded his head in agreement, and the two cat's lifted him up, taking him to the camp. As the carried him along, Shadow thought.

He loved his life as a warrior, battle practice, and caring for the Clan. He was a very good hunter in the tree's, which was rare in the Clan. But something seemed to be missing.

He was missing something, he just knew it.

As they plonked him down in the medicine cat den, the medicine cat told him what she would do. He payed the she-cat no attention, tuning out to her boring, endless droning of "And tomorrow I'll give you some more poppy seeds, and maybe some aloe vera would help... if I have any. Oh dear, I don't I'll have to fetch some, and, I'll add some comfrey as well, I can't believe I didn't think of that..."

What was he missing? He knew he was missing something... but what?

Suddenly, memories started flashing through his head. Him with his owner, playing as a young cat. Him with his owner playing a game. Him and his owner. Him and his owner.

Ina ll those scenes, he was happy. He was with his owner.

_That's what I'm missing! My owner... and my life._

Shadow lapped up the poppy seeds the medicine cat pushed towards him, and slowly he drifted off.

**. . .**

Shadow sat in the meadow, her tail curled elegantly over her paws. "We meet again," she smiled at the tom.

Shadow, the tom, opened his mouth, his tail twitching nervously, "Shadow... I'd like to return to my kittypet life."

He didn't know what he had been expecting the she-cat to do, explode, maybe.

Instead she just sighed. "Are you sure of this? You make such a wonderful warrior..." Her voice was full of a sadness that he couldn't name.

"Yes... I'm not happy, here. I was happy with my owner."

She sighed, lifting a paw off the ground. "I hope that you find happiness then, Shadow."

He dipped his head to the black she-cat, and barely had time to murmur, "Goodbye," before the image flickered.

**. . .**

When he opened his eyes, a familiar scent hit his nose. Home.

He gazed around excitedly, _he was home! Home!_

He could see his owner stir, and he watched happily as his owner stirred. _I'm home!_ he wanted to yowl, _I'm home again!_

When his owner did open his eyes, he reached out a hand to stroke Shadow's back. His eyes hazel opened wide in disbelief as he stared at Shadow's side, and Shadow twisted his own head to see what he was staring at.

His side. His wound. It was... it was healed.

"So long, Shadow," he could hear a pretty voice murmur in his ear, and he purred.

"Thank you, Shadow," he replied happily, before bounding over to his owner.

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**Hope you liked it! Please tell me how you think it was in a ****review!**

**-Rain**


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